Fever
by Adina Mizu
Summary: John gets sick and Karkat is left to try and help him. Having no experience with such things he does what can to make John comfortable before calling Kanaya for help. Waiting for the Jade blood to reply Karkat is faced with vile fluids being pumped from the Heir's stomach to trying to get him to take some medicine. Both are a venture in themselves.


John groaned thickly as he rolled onto his back, bringing a hand up to rub his eyes. He tried to sniffle but only managed to make a heavy 'snerk' noise. His head was throbbing with a dull pain which made him groan again. His throat was dry and made his voice raspy. Despite the headache John turned just

enough to try and see where he was.

It was hard to tell because of his extra blurry vision. At first he thought is was just because his glasses weren't on, but even when he squinted he could just barely make out anything, even the nightstand to his right. He tried to reach over to the table to check for his glasses, but the effort of trying to roll over even that far was too tiring. He allowed his body to slump back down and coughed dryly, his throat stinging at the action. He felt absolutely miserable. The second time he coughed was a bit harder and his body shook with the force of it. There was a slight shifting beside him then, though he was to tired to check what it was.

"John?" A voice asked, it was slightly distorted but still recognizable.

Karkat sat up as his matesprite gave another dry raspy cough. John's face was paler then normal though his cheeks were flushed. The troll immediately reached over and placed his hand on the boy's head, which was quite moist with sweat. John leaned into Karkat's unnaturally cool touch with another small groan. While the climate they lived in was warm enough for Karkat to survive in it made it hard to regulate his temperature; he had well given up keeping his hands warm at this point.

"Jegus, you look like shit, John." Karkat muttered, shifting to lean over the boy; his hand still in place.

"W-watr." John rasped weakly.

Karkat's face was grim as he slipped from the bed to fetch the drink. He knew humans got sick and had seen John sick a few times in his life via Trollian, though he had skipped past them because it looked boring and gross. He didn't know how to take care of a sick troll, let alone a human. Caring for the sick wasn't exactly a common practice, or a practice at all really. Trolls got sick very rarely so the procedures to make someone better were more or less unknown to him. When Karkat returned with the glass of water John was coughing roughly, causing his lithe form to jolt.

Reaching the bed the troll handed the glass over to John, or at least he tried to. When the boy had tried to take the cup his grip was too weak to actually hold it. With a sigh Karkat set the beverage down and lifted John up a bit, holding him in a sitting position. He then retrieved the cup and brought it to the others lips. John sipped at the water trying to drink as much as he could, though Karkat was only tilting the cup just enough. He didn't want John to drown himself after all, with the boy's luck he'd manage it. Once John started coughing into the water Karkat pulled it away and set him down on the bed once more. Sputtering a bit John gasped for a moment or two to regain a proper breathing pattern. The boy's eyes fluttered open as he heard Karkat swearing from above him. The troll tried to move off from the bed but was stopped by a pitifully weak grip on his wrist. John's fingers slipped from the gray skin as his arm went limp and he started coughing once more. Karkat looked down at the sorry sight with not a single thought of what to do.

With a heavy sigh which was borderline growl Karkat rounded the bed and picked up his phone from the table on his own nightstand. Sitting down on the bed he reached over to grab John's other hand, letting the boy know he was still there. There was a feeble squeeze with a shaky hum of a response. Opening up Trollian Karkat skimmed the listings hoping he would be able to get a hold of Kanaya, he didn't know who else to contact for this.

- carcinoGeneticist [CG] Started Trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA]

CG: HEY

CG: KANAYA

CG: GOG DAMNIT ANSWER ME, THIS IS SERIOUS.

CG: FUCK, JOHN LOOKS LIKE SHIT, HE'S GOT SLIMY SECRETIONS COMING OUT EVERY ORIFICE AND I COULD USE SOME HELP HERE.

CG: FUCKING HELL, KANAYA.

CG: WHAT THE FUCK COULD YOU BE DOING RIGHT NOW?!

Karkat was about ready to go off on the currently absent troll when his attention was suddenly snapped back to John, or rather the sudden movement and sounds he was now making. A sickening choked gargle was emitted, accompanied by a rush of thick liquid. When Karkat had looked up at him John was bent over the side of the bed and, from the sounds of it, emptying his stomach's contents. He was up on the bed in moments rubbing John's back not knowing what else to do. The Cancer wrinkled his nose as the smell drifted up from the vile slop on the floor.

"Shit, John." Karkat muttered as he felt the boy trembling from the exertion of vomiting.

After another moment John finally started to go limp and weakly tried to roll onto his back once more. Karkat settled him back on the bed and pulled the blankets up to just under his chin. This was the one thing he remembered John's human Lusus doing when the boy became ill, this was also the point where he had always jumped forward in his time line as well.

"Damnit, John. What the fuck am I suppose to do?" Karkat asked as he brushed the Heir's now moistened black bangs from his eyes.

Karkat was startled by just how warm the boy was and swallowed thickly as he started to panic for lack of any kind of plan. John started coughing again and the Cancer had to take a a breath to keep himself together, to think of something. However, the breath of air he took nearly caused him to add to the foul mess on the floor as the putrid fumes hit his lungs. First things first, he had to get that shit off the floor.

Slipping from the bed Karkat went into the adjoining bathroom and grabbed every towel in there. He was gone only briefly and upon his return he tossed two of the towels over the pool of puke on the floor. He also brought the waste basket from the bathroom just in case John felt the need to throw up again. Dealing with the unpleasantly dispelled bodily fluid was rather easy as John had coated the small carpet that was placed as his bedside for cold mornings. Carefully rolling it up Karkat was able to just toss the carpet and mess away almost entirely. The now vomit soaked towels soon to follow.

John could hear the sounds of movement in the room though he kept his eyes closed and his head motionless. He was tired, his head hurt and his stomach was killing him. After throwing up he had felt a little better; a little better as in pulling a single thorn out of a thousand from your hand kind of better. Gosh did he hate getting sick. He used to get sick pretty often, but this was the first time since the Game had ended. Getting sick now was a totally different experience. For one, his father was not there to see him back to perfect health, meaning there where no soups, bowls of ice cream or various baked goods. He had Karkat of course, but he wasn't really the nursing type.

Letting out another set of rough coughs John could feel the phlegm in his throat and even all the way to his lungs, or damn near close to it. It felt horrible, to the point where he couldn't help but let out another pitiful moan of discomfort. He felt the cool touch of a hand on his head again and opened his eyes enough to see the silhouette of Karkat leaning over him. The troll was brushing the wet hair from his forehead again, allowing John to nuzzle into his hand as he did so. After a moment though, the hand was removed, an action which caused John to whine in protest.

The protest, however, was cut short when John felt himself being shifted up and propped against something, something warm. He felt an arm snake around his aching stomach as the other hand was once more replaced on his head. Karkat had crawled onto the bed and pulled the boy against him. From this position John could feel the vibrations in the others chest easily. It wasn't like the purring he would occasionally slip into. This was different, it felt deeper somehow; like a humming rather then a purr. It felt oddly nice, soothing even. Laying his head back onto Karkat's shoulder John listened to the rhythmic buzzing hum.

Karkat sat with John cradled against him, one of his hands on the boy's head as it seemed to make him feel better. He had started resonating gently as well to try and help him relax. It was normally a sound saved for helping trolls pacify their Matesprites or Moirails, but he didn't know what else to do now. It did seem to be helping though, John was starting to fall asleep which the troll took to be something positive.

It didn't take long until the Heir was completely out. His breathing was raspy and somewhat uneven, but he was still able to sleep. Karkat continued to drone on for a bit longer to make sure he wouldn't wake back up. Eventually he slipped out from under the boy and placed him back down on the bed, the blankets once more pulled up to his chin. He was about to head out of the room to try and locate some kind of human medicine John might have stode away somewhere when he noticed his phone was blinking. Kanaya had responded.

GA: I am afraid Ms. Maryam is unable to respond at the moment, but perhaps I can be of assistance?

Or not.

CG: I DON'T FUCKING CARE WHO REPLIES

CG: I JUST NEED SOME FUCKING PERSON WHO MIGHT HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT ABOUT FUCKING NOW.

GA: Yes, I read your earlier messages.

GA: Perhaps if you gave me a more detailed description of what seems to be wrong?

CG: WHAT SEEMS TO BE WRONG?

CG: HOW ABOUT THIS

CG: HE IS PALE AS DEATH, SHAKING, SWEATING LIKE THAT'S HIS BODY'S TOP FUCKING MISSION IN LIFE AND SPEWING THE CONTENTS OF HIS FOODSACK LIKE A DAMN FOUNTAIN OF REEKING HUMAN FLUIDS.

GA: I see.

GA: Is he alright?

CG: DOES HE SOUND LIKE HE'S FUCKING ALRIGHT?

GA: I mean, has he complained of anything in particular?

CG: HE HASN'T SAID ANYTHING

CG: ASIDE FROM COUGHING AND GROANING HE'S BEEN SILENT.

GA: I see.

GA: Have you given him anything to drink?

CG: OF FUCKING COURSE I HAVE!

CG: I'M NOT FUCKING STUPID.

GA: I was not implying you were.

GA: When humans become ill it is highly important that we remain hydrated.

GA: I cannot say for sure what he has as from my end it sounds quite similar to a cold.

GA: My best advise for now would be to keep him warm and hydrated.

CG: YEA, I GOT THAT PART.

CG: WHAT ELSE?

GA: Well, soup has been a great healing tool for the sickly for the majority of human history so I would go with that.

GA: And, of course, any medicine you may have would not go amiss.

CG: HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?

CG: AND IF I DON'T HAVE ANY, THEN WHAT?

GA: Keep calm, Karkat.

GA: The medicine will most likely be in a bottle, and knowing John it will be in a bathroom somewhere.

GA: If you do not have any then I will bring you some.

CG: WHAT?

GA: Seeing as John is sick I do believe Kanaya and I will drop by to see what we can do to help.

GA: If that is alright with you of course.

CG: IT'S FINE I GUESS.

GA: Good.

GA: We will be there most likely arrive tomorrow in the afternoon then.

CG: WHATEVER

- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] Ceased Trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

Setting down his phone Karkat looked back at John who was currently shifting around under that blankets to the point where they were slipping off a bit. Thinking about what Rose had said the Cancer tried to think if he had any kind of human soup in his hive. John had made it before, but he had done it from scratch. He wasn't sure if Alternian soup would be helpful or harmful to his human Matesprite. There had been a less then pleasant incident a while back when Jade had some kind of episode after eating a fruit of Alternian origin. With how sick John already was he didn't want to risk a similar reaction.

Pulling the blankets back up to John's chin Karkat tucked them in to keep them from slipping down again. He also grabbed the extra blanket that was usually kept at the end of the bed for him when he needed help regulating his own temperature. Tucking John in with this blanket as well Karkat proceeded to head down to his kitchen to see what food he could possibly make for his ill matesprite.

Not too much later Karkat was making his way up the stairs with a small tray carrying a new glass of water and a bowl of soup he had found in one of the cabinets. It was an earth soup so he hoped that would help. Balancing the tray in one hand Karkat opened the door to the respiteblock and was met with the sight of John, who had somehow wiggled free from the cocoon of blankets, sprawled out awkwardly across the bed. But that wasn't the only thing the troll notice as he entered. The stench hit his nose immediately and he had to fight the urge to gag and back right back out of the room. Walking over and placing the tray on the side table Karkat gave a quick look over the area around John and the bed for the vile substance. Luckily it seemed like John had at least managed to get it in the trash receptacle this time.

Moving the waste basket away from the bed Karkat set to replacing the Heir back to his original position on the bed. Once done the troll began to nudge the other, who had somehow managed to remain unconscious through the moving process. John whined feebly as he pulled from the sleep he so very much wanted.

"John, come on fuckass, you have to eat something." Karkat said as gently as he could.

John groaned again and tried to turn over, an action that made his whole body want to punch him in the face. Seeing the grimace of pain that crossed his matesprites face the troll righted the boy once more, slowly trying to get him to sit up as well. John did his best to fight against the Cancer, though it didn't really do much.

"John." Karkat tried again, "Look, it's soup. That's supposed to help right?"

John groaned thickly at the mention of the food.

"Please, just take a bite okay?"

"I dnt wan ny." John's voice was raspy and strained causing the words to come out nearly unintelligible.

Ignoring John's protests Karkat slipped onto the bed at the headboard and propped the boy up against his chest. Grabbing the spoon that lay beside the bowl of soup he scooped up a small spoonful and brought it over to the Heirs mouth.

"Just try some." He says tapping the boys lips with the filled utensil gently.

John shook his head with a groan, both the action and the request being refused. Karkat tried to coax the other to eat but to no avail. After three more tries John turned his head as far from the spoon as he could get it letting out a pathetic whimper as even this was tiring him out far too quickly and caused his head to throb painfully.

"Please, Karkat." John managed to choke out, his breath catching as if he were on the verge of crying.

Karkat sighed heavily but put the spoon down again seeing that it was futile fight at this point.

It's not that he was trying to be difficult, but really, just the thought of food made his stomach turn. John's whole body ached still and he could still taste the bile that had already passed his lips earlier. He was in no hurry to add to that my eating something that would only come back up with a vengeance. He felt kind of guilty because he knew Karkat was at least trying to be helpful, but he just wanted to sleep. That's all. Just sleep. Sleep and be numb to what his body was feeling. Sleep and then hopefully wake up once whatever he had passed.

Gently Karkat replaced the boy back down and moved to re-cover him as well. At the return of the blankets John tried to protest but this time Karkat was not going to give in. He couldn't force the boy to eat, but he could damn well make sure he was covered and kept warm. Tucking them in loose enough so as not to cause the boy any painful discomfort the troll made sure they were also tight enough where John would have to be struggling pretty hard to get out of them again. As cruel as it was Karkat was relying on the other being far to weak from the illness to pull them away.

Once that was taken care of Karkat left the room once more, this time to try and track down any medicine John might have tucked away. It had been a real hassle because he had no idea at all what it even looked like. After quickly running out of places to look Karkat returned to the room carrying a variety of bottles he had picked up though his travels of the hive. Most had liquids but some had pills, all of them where from earth.

Bringing this array of bottles into the respiteblock the troll set them down on the nightstand, right beside the abandoned soup. John, who had failed at trying to fall back to sleep, peered over at the troll through half open eyelids, trying not to move his head as he did so. Seeing John was still awake and looking to miserable Karkat placed a hand on his head, brushing the wet black locks from in front of his eyes. John sighed at the touch, the coolness of the others skin helping ease the edge off his headache.

"Hey, I need you to stay awake a little longer okay?" Karkat asked, sitting on the side of the bed.

John gave a weak grunt and a curt nod showing he heard and understood. Though it's not like he was able to go to sleep anyway. Karkat, after re-tracting his hand from the boys head, began to read out the labels of the different bottles. John, who was supposed to be telling him simply if they would be of use or not, was making no effort at all to help. He did i_not_/i want to take any of it. He had brought in most of the stuff to be used on Karkat if he ever got sick. He had no intention of taking it himself. His father had made him take it whenever he was ill and it was always the nasty stuff. Though all medicine was gross tasting, aside from cough drops which he really wished he had at the moment.

He had already gotten away with not eating anything so far and all he had to do was act weak. It wasn't the most dignified thing to do, but the troll had caved in pretty quickly. John was sure if he could just manage that again he could definitely make Karkat forget about trying to force him to take any medicine too. Normally it wasn't in him to play the pity card, but right now he didn't really care how he played it, so long as he did have to ingest anything from the bottles.

Karkat continued to go though the labels, looking at John for confirmation on any of them. After a while though he started to loose his patience. Instead of guiding his search here John just lay there. He would cough periodically, but other then that he didn't do anything. Twice he even had to make sure the other was still awake. Finally getting fed up with John's lack of aid Karkat twists the top off the bottle he had been reading from and takes a swig of it. Leaning forward he plants his lips on John's firmly. Surprised by the sudden contact John's mouth opens up in what would have been a gasp. Taking the opportunity Karkat passes the liquid from his mouth over to John's.

The look on John's face once Karkat pulled away showed his surprise clearly as his mind was still trying to catch up with what happened. The odd taste that now sat on his tongue only just starting to register.

"K-karkat!" John rasps in alarm, voice cracking.

The troll looked back at him with a smug expression like he had won something.

"You cld get sick dng that! You cld get what I have!" John went on, though he broke off into a coughing fit.

"I will do that with all of these if I fucking have to." Karkat threatened, holding up another bottle for emphasis, "I don't know what half this shit is other then medicine of fucking whatever kind, but so help me you will take it all unless you help me here."

John stared at Karkat for a moment as if gauging the others seriousness. Thinking it over he knew Karkat most likely would do that. Not wanting to over expose the troll any more then he already had John nodded weakly and squinted over at the assembled medicines on the nightstand.

Seeing that John was now paying attention Karkat re-read the names of everything he had brought in. After he thought it over a few minutes John narrowed it down to at least two that would be helpful. Not taking any chances Karkat opened them both. The first one was easy enough to get John to take, the second one, however, was a hassle. John shifted as best he could away from the offered liquid, clamping his mouth shut to ensure none of it would get in.

"John, just take a fucking sip of it. It's not going to kill you." Karkat said not bothering to hide the fact he was loosing his patience.

John let out a grunt of refusal in reply.

"Egbert." Karkat said in warning.

When John still held strong against taking the stuff Karkat was left with no choice. Taking a swig from this bottle he leaned forward again to pass it on. This time John was a little more prepared for it and he thrashed around to try and keep their lips from meeting. During the struggle the Heir managed to get his arms free from the cacoon and placed them on the others chest to push him away. Despite all his best efforts though Karkat was still stronger at the moment and was able to both push the shaky limbs away and catch the others lips as well.

John let out a muffled sound of protest as he felt medicine pass over to his own mouth. It was a bitter taste. Karkat didn't let up until he was sure John had swallowed it too. When he pulled away this time John started coughing immediately, looking tired and defeated. Grinning in victory Karkat re-capped the bottles and placed them beside the still uneaten soup. Crawling carefully over the boy Karkat wiggling under the top layer of blankets and pulled himself up against John, bringing the other against his chest. Once settled Karkat started to resonate again in the hopes of putting John back to sleep. It looked like he really needed it.

Before too long John had, in fact, fallen back to sleep, but so had Karkat. His body kept up the humming rhythm in his chest though, which helped because every so often John would jolt from a coughing fit and wake either one or both of them up again. Karkat had to get up a few times to refill the glass of water and to re-administer the medicine, which John fought less against seeing as the Cancer was so adamant about him taking it. The troll also had to get up and clean up more vomit as he had forgotten to return the trash basket to the bedside.

John's stomach was killing him and it made its intentions clear every time it ejected its contents across the floor. Well, maybe not 'across the floor' but close to it. Even though Karkat was quick to dispose of the mess the smell still lingered, not to mention the taste of it that coated his mouth. What little sleep he was able to get was constantly being interrupted by spasms of coughing that he couldn't seem to control no matter how hard he tried. It tore at his throat to the point where he could feel tears of pain forming in his eyes every time he swallowed anything. He couldn't remember the last time he had been sick like this, not even before the game when his dad was still around.

John, getting over his latest coughing fit, tried to roll over onto his side and was surprised when he realized Karkat was no longer beside him. Opening his eyes and glancing around the room he couldn't even find the blurred silhouette of the troll. He had been so sure that the other had been laying beside him a moment ago, so where did he go? How long had be been gone?

Suddenly he felt very alone. He could deal with the medicine being forced on him and the being basically tied into the bed, but he really didn't want to be alone. He hated being alone he really did. He tried calling out for the Cancer but his voice was horse and his throat hurt so very very much. Needless to say the words died in his throat followed by a thick cough. A few moments later a comforting cool hand was placed on his forehead once more. But, something was off about it. It wasn't the hand he was used to feeling. This one was..smaller?

"Hello John." A calm and familiar voice spoke from above him.

Opening his eyes he could make out the blurry figure leaning over him. Though he couldn't see clearly he could still tell that whoever it was was female, blond, and wore an abundance of dark purple.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Rose?" John asked his voice nothing more then a whisper.

"Yes, it's me John." The Seer answered with a small smile, "I see Karkat has been taking decent enough care of you. Have you eaten anything?"

It was a moot question because it was clear that the bowl of soup was still untouched. John, too tired to even lie just turned his head in the negative, careful not to irritate his headache. Rose removed her hand and reached into the small bag she had with her and took from it a tiny bottle. Shaking out some pills she held them out along with a glass of water.

"This will make things more comfortable." She offered, though John just shook his head.

"No pills." He rasped.

"John, I know you don't like taking them, but they will help."

John shook his head again clamping his mouth closed to them. Liquid medicine was one thing, but he was not going to take pills. Nope, nope, nope.

Downstairs Karkat and Kanaya were talking about proper human care while Rose went up to assess the situation. True to her word the two had brought a few bottles of medicine covering a variety of things from a cold to the flu, even pneumonia. Along with that though they also brought various soups and foods that would help. What confused the Cancer is that most of them that weren't soups were crackers, the complete opposite of what Rose had told him to give John.

"It helps to absorb whatever it is that makes them nauseous." Kanaya was explaining as she lifted up one of the bottles of medicine, "I do believe this is also used to lower their temperature as well."

"Yea, I know." Karkat sighed, "John's got some of that here. I've been making him take it every few hours, just like the fucking instructions say to."

"Good. Then I can't imagine he should be sick for too much longer." Kanaya stated re-placing things into the bag and leaving it on the counter.

Karkat gave a heavy sigh and leaned forward so that his head was settled on the counter. Kanaya waited a moment before moving over to place a hand on his back.

"Are you feeling alright, Karkat?" She asked.

"I've been up for hours with barely any sleep trying to tend to that fuckass that got himself sick. He refuses to ingest anything, medicine included. Anytime I try to give him anything it turns into this big fucking hassle and then I feel like a complete fucking asshole because he looks too fucking pathetic like that." Karkat monologued as the Virgo rubbed his back comfortingly, "I have no idea what I'm doing and he seems to be sabotaging my every effort to be of any help anyway."

"Well, from what you have told me you have been doing a good job so far. Rose has explained a few of the more common human illnesses to me and there is little more you can do. Although, you did mention how he seemed comforted by your hand? When they were still cold?" She asked.

"Yea. Why?"

"Then I would suggest getting a bowl of cold water and cooling him down with a damp cloth. Or make him an ice pack for his head." Kanaya suggested, "That is what Rose does when she feels she might be taken ill."

"Really? You think that'll help?" Karkat questioned glancing up at the other, his head still mostly on the counter.

"I see no reason why not. It should work just fine." Kanaya replied, "You can always ask Rose once she returns from upstairs."

"Hm." Karkat grunted turning his head away again.

Another five minutes pass before Rose makes her re-appearance in the kitchen where the other two trolls were situated. Karkat looked up immediately once she entered, eager to hear whatever it was she had to say about John's current health condition.

"It appears to me that John has nothing more then a stomach bug." She replied coolly as if it were nothing.

"A what?" Karkat looked at her with confusion, "What the fuck is a 'stomach bug'?"

"It's not as bad as it might sound. It is just an illness that manifests mainly with stomach pains and 'expulsion of human fluids' as you so gingerly put it yesterday." Rose explained, "But he should be fine. Aside from being somewhat unruly when it comes ingesting anything-"

"Yea, I know." Karkat cut her off here with a grimace.

"-There is little else for you to do that you weren't already doing before. A stomach bug usually takes at least four days to fully recover from." Rose continued, "I'll set out the medicines we've brought that might be more helpful then the others in case you might need them. You might want to go up and tend to John now though. He seemed to be calling for you when I arrived before."

Karkat straightened up and slid from the chair without another glance at the blond. Kanaya and Rose exchanged a look before she went about her job with the bag and its contents.


End file.
